Boll-weevil destroyer.



W. W. FULLER.

BOLL WEEVIL DESTROYER.

APPUCATION FILED MAY 23. 1911.

1,241,727. Patented Oct. 2,1917.

'.2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. O

WILLIAM W. FULLER, OF WEST POINT, GEORGIA.

BOLL-WEEVIL nnsrnoynn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

Application filed May 23, 1917. Serial No. 170,336.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. FULLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Point, in the county of Troup and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boll-lVeevil Destroyers; and I do hereby declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to a boll weevil destroyer, and has for an object to provide a machine for operation upon cotton, and like plants, for removing and collecting therefrom boll weevil," potato bugs, other insects, punctured and dead squares, and the like.

Other objects are to provide an economically and simply constructed machine of this character which. has relatively few parts, is light in weight, may be easily manipulated, which is provided with collecting pans constructed to retain the insects and dead squares from falling out and to maintain the bottoms of the pans entirely covered with the kerosene oil and other liquids used, which prevents injury to the stalks and blooms, produces a gentle brushing action on all parts of the plant to thoroughly cleanse the same, and which may be adjusted to plants ofvarious heights and breadths.

The above, and various other objects and advantages of this invention will be in part described, and in part understood, from the following detailed description of the pre ent preferred embodiment, the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figuge 1 is a side elevation of a boll weevil destroyer constructed according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged view in section taken vertically through one side of the frame, showing the adjustable pan support and a portion of the adjustable brush frame.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the pans.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken through a portion of the brush frame and one of the brushes applied thereto.

Fi 6 is. a transverse section through the hands and one of the adjustable legs, Show ing the adjustable connection between the same.

Referring to this drawing, the main frame of the machine comprises an angle-iron arched bar 10 reinforced at its upper corners by diagonal bracing straps 11, and having one of its flanges extending inwardly at its top and sides.

The lower ends of the arched bar 10 have transversely alined spindles 12 which support Wheels 13. The wheels 13 are relatively large and are of open construction, and preferably have relatively few spokes so as not to injure the branches of plants against which the wheels may come in contact. The arched bar 10 is provided at each side, and in the angle thereof with a vertically extending socket 14 which may be tubular, andprovided with an axial opening extending throughout its entire length.

Each socket 14 is provided with a longi; tudinal slot 15 in preferably its forward:

side, and which terminates short of the upper and lower ends of the socket. Hangers 16, in the form of rods, project upwardly through the sockets 14.- and are provided upon one side with outwardly extending pins 17 slidable in the slots 15, and adapted to bear against the marginal edges of the slots to limit the hangers 16 from turning in the sockets. The hangers 16 are threaded at their upper ends for a considerable length, .and are provided with supporting.

nuts 18 upon their upper ends adapted to bear upon the upper ends of the sockets 14 to hold the hangers 16 from sliding downwardly through the sockets.

The lower end of each hanger is providedwith a bracket 19 which is substantially of rectangular formation, and which has one portion rigidly attached to the lower end of the hanger rod 16, and the opposite portion bifurcated and diverged for engagement against the underside of a pan 20 which is mounted upon the bracket. The arms or diverging portions of the bracket 19 are riveted or otherwise permanently secured to the bottom of the pan 20, and the upstanding portion of thebracket 19bears against the outer side of the pan 20 to brace the same. The hangers 16 with their brackets 19 constitute the sole support for the pans, and the latter are adaptedto vibrate As shown in Fig. 2, the inner sides of the pan 20 are spaced apart sufficiently to form v over which the machine is adapted to be operated. To prevent injury to the stalks the pans 20 'have at their upper edges and inner sides flexible aprons 21, of leather or the like,'which are inclined'upwardly and inwardly. toward each other to ."contract the passage between the pans, and to catch and throw into. the pans -inse'cts,-' and the him, which are dropped from the plants passing through the niachine.

Theforward inner corners of the pans 20 arerounded, as at 22, to form a flared throat to receive the stalks and direct the sam into it-he'passage between the pans.

Arranged over the pans 20, intermediate the'front and rear ends thereof, is a brush frame in the form of a pair of arcua'te bars 23 pivotally connected at their lower ends to links "2 1, and pivotally secured at their upper 'endsto' a cross head 25 carried upon the lower end and an adjusting rod 26. The rod 26.is slidablethrough the upper portion of the arched bar 10; and through a socket 27 carriedby. the bar 10, the latter having a binding screw 28 for engagement withthe rod=26 to secure the latter in various elevated positions. The links 24 are provided, at" opposite ends, with threaded openings adapted to'receive theends of thnmb screws 29, which "latter pass through longitudinal slots 30 formed in the inwardly extei'iding flanges'at the sidesof the main frame or b'ar' 10. "Thethumb serews29, when loosened, are adap ted to be raised and lowered in the frame 10 to move the lower ends of the arcuate bars23 toward and from each other, and are adapted to .be clamped when thedesired position obtained'for securely holding the links in position. The arcuate bars 23- are each provided with a pair of brushes 31. which extend inwardly of the brushframe and are adapted to wipe against the plants over which the-machine is passed. I

A handle or bail 32 is p'i'votally mounted at-itsfree ends to the lower endsof the arched bar or frame 10, and isadapt'ed to extend rearwardl'y from the frame, and to be grasped by the operator for pushing the machine. v: The opposite sides of the handle 32/ are provided: thereon with shiftable blocks 33 held in adjusted position with set screws 34, the' bloc'ks having at their outer sides thumb screws 35 adapted to engage in longitudinally. extending slots 36 formed internidiate the'ends of legs or braces 37 carried by the frame 10. "The braces37 1113; be in the form of fiat bars pivotally .mounted 011 pins 38' at thelr upper ends to the sides of-the frame 10, nearthe top of the latter: Thelower ends oft'he legs 37 are preferably curved downwardly and are bent thereat abruptly inward to form feet 39 for engagement with the ground tosup port the machine when at rest, and also to provide a fulcrum support for elevating the forward endsof the pans 20 by depressing the handle 32, to avoid stones and the like about which the pans cannot pass.

The shiftable block 33 serves the purpose of connecting the handle 32 to the braces 37 'at various adjustments of the same relatively to each other so that the handle 32 may be retained at the desired height to lift the feet 39 from the ground when the handle 32 is grasped. Preferably, the ver tically adjustable rod 26 which supports the brush frame is bent forwardly at its lower end to advance the brushes 31 for wardly of the main frame and thus insure the vibration of the plants as they pass be tween-the pans'20. r

The brushes 31 are mounted'upon'straps 40 which encircle the bars '23, and which maybe anchored thereon by'bo'lts 41, the

latter passing freely through slots 23 extending longitudinally in the bars 23. The straps 10 are secured'to the brushes 31 by bolts42' or the like, and wingednuts 42 are preferably carried upon the straps 41-0 and engaged through the slot portionsof the bars 23,- and areadapted to be tightened upon their respective bolts tobind the sleeves 40 in adjusted position.

By this construction the brushes may be independently adjusted longitudinally of the bars 23 to raise and lower the brushes for contact with plants of various dimensions. The cross-head 25 which connects the'upper ends of the bars23 carries a rela 1 tively long stationary brush 31 which projects downwardly beyond the lateral brushes 31, and which is adapted to sweep across the tops of the plants. The'flexible aprons 21 converge inwardly at any desired angle, preferably at an angle 45 so as to substan tially close the passage between the pans 20 and insure the catching of the insects and other accumulations brushed from the" plants. a

Each pan 20 has" its upper edge sloping downwardly and inwardly of the panfs'o that thepansare relatively shallow at their inner sides and relatively deep at their outer sides. ranged at suitable intervals within the pans 20 and have apertures 4A in the lower edges thereof intercomlnunicating the" eoinpartments ofeac h'pan. p 7 i In operation, the pans 20 are adjusted to the desired height for passage over the hills, and at the opposite sides of a row of stalks or plants. By turning the supporting'nuts 18 in the desired direction the "hangers 16 may. be raised or lowered to support the pans at the desired height above the ground. The hangers 16, with the pans 20, are held from turning in the frame by the pins 17 Transverse partitions 43 are *ar- T which bind in the longitudinal slots of the sockets 1a. The brush frame is new adjusted by raising the rod 26 to bring the brushes 31 into suitable sweeping contact with the upper ends or tops of the plants, and the links 24 are adjusted at their outer ends by the movement of the thumb screws 29 in the slots 30 of the frame to move the lower pair of brushes 31 into the desired brushing contact with the sides of the plant. The block 33 is adjusted to support the han dle 32 at the desired height when at rest, and to lift the feet 39 from the ground when the handle is raised into a natural position for walking.

As the machine is pushed over the rows of plants, the stalks of the plants pass through the throat of the machine between the pans 20, and the flexible aprons 21 engage the plants and prevent cutting or un due jarring of the stalks by the spaced walls of the threat. The brushes wipe across the leaves or branches of the plants and vibrate the plants sufliciently only to dislodge boll weevil, other insects, dead squares, and the like from the plants by exerting a light sweeping action upon the plants which does not injure the same.

It is, of course, understood that the above is but one embodiment of the present invention, and that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is 1. In a bell weevil destroyer, the combination with a frame adapted to be passed over rows of plants, of catching pans suspended from the frame in the opposite sides thereof, and vibrating means including a sectional arched brush frame and brushes therein, said brush frame being adjustably suspended at its intermediate portion from the top of the main frame and being adjustably connected at its ends to the sides of the main frame for applying the brushes to plants of various sizes.

2. In a bell weevil destroyer, the combination of a main frame adapted to be passed over a row of plants, of catching means supported in the lower opposite sides of the frame, a sectional, hingedly-connected brush frame adj ustably mounted in the main frame at the opposite sides thereof and adapted to be advanced toward and from the opposite sides of plants passing through the main ends of said bars to the main frame and having adjustable connections with the latter, and a. plurality of brushes mounted upon said bars for movement therewith into adjustment against the sides of plants varying in size.

t. In a boll weevil destroyer, the combination of an arched frame, a pair of collecting pans mounted for vertical adjustment in the opposite sides of the frame, a twopart brush frame arranged in the main frame over said pans and having pairs of brushes extending inwardly toward one another, adjustable means connecting the lower ends of the brush frame to the sides of the main frame and adapted to open and contract the brush frame against plants of various thicknesses, and suspending means carried by the main frame and having connection with the top of the brush frame for raising and lowering the latter to accommodate plants of various heights.

5. In a bell weevil destroyer,the combination of an arched frame adapted to straddle a row of plants, collectors supported in the lower opposite sides of the arched frame, an adjustable brush frame arranged in the upper end of the arched frameover said collectors, links adjustably connecting the sides of the brush frame tothe sides of the arched frame, and a vertically adjustable rod mounted in the upper end of the arched frame and having connection at its lower end to the brush frame for supporting it, the lower end of said rod being ofiset forwardly to advance the brush frame forwardly from the transverse plane of the arched frame.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM W. FULLER.

Witnesses:

W. C. LANIER, R. II. HODNETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

